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My question is the extent to which the prestige and rank of a PhD in mathematics correspond to the rigor of the program. I'm absolutely not worried about working hard, but I'm recently married and I want to factor in time with my wife when deciding where to attend. To expand, what are the levels of rigor corresponding to schools with a) a big name and a well ranked math program (like Penn and Princeton), b) a big name with a not-as-highly ranked math program (like Carnegie Mellon or Dartmouth), c) a smaller name but a well ranked math program (like CU Boulder), d) a smaller name with a less highly ranked math program?

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    There's such wide variation in "time commitment", even within a single program, based on a student's advisor, field of study, interests, chosen project, etc, etc, that I think any correlation with the prestige of the program will be lost in the noise.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Oct 18, 2016 at 19:22
  • @NateEldredge thank you so much, that's very helpful!
    – Van Latimer
    Commented Oct 18, 2016 at 19:24

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I think a more productive way to factor your considerations for your spouse and your family life into your choice of program would be by considering things like:

  • your spouse's preferred climate (temperatures, rain, snow, etc.)

  • how isolated vs. how easily connected your spouse would be with others -- there are two aspects here -- both people of your spouse's nationality, if your spouse is originally from a different country than the country where you hope to study, and also people not of your spouse's nationality (in the U.S., international trailing spouses sometimes find it rewarding to form friendships with other non-U.S. citizens, who are not necessarily of the same nationality)

  • how easy and quick it would be for you to pop home for dinner before getting back to school for some evening work, or for your spouse to stop by your department to spend some time with you in a study break

  • possible employment opportunities if that is something your spouse is interested in

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